Oral Rinses: Some Kill and Some Cripple <i>Candida albicans</i>

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Oral healthcare professionals play a crucial role in guiding patients toward evidence-based choices among the many available oral rinses. In this study, we explored how specific oral rinse formulations affect the viability and modulate critical virulence traits of the opportunistic fungal pathogen <i>Candida albicans.</i> <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> We assessed the effects of these oral rinses on the production of germ tube, production of phospholipase and hemolysin, as well as biofilm formation. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We found that oral rinses containing cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and chlorhexidine (CHX) showed the greatest fungicidal activity with the lowest minimum fungicidal concentrations (0.38% and 0.78%, respectively). Oral rinses based on zinc chloride and sodium fluoride with Miswak bark extract (MIS) or essential oils (EO) had much lower fungicidal activity (8–16 times lower) compared to CHX and CPC. However, they had a significantly greater impact on the virulence traits of <i>C. albicans</i>. They reduced germ tube production by 86–89% (vs. 42% for CHX and 29% for CPC), completely inhibited phospholipase and hemolysin production, and together with the CPC-based oral rinse, exerted the greatest reductions in biofilm formation across all tested concentrations. This was in contrast to both the controls and CHX, which had a minimal effect on biofilm formation. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> By inhibiting the virulence factors, the oral rinse can have a crippling effect on <i>C. albicans</i>, weakening this opportunistic pathogen and hindering its potential to cause infection.